SPOKANE, Wash. — Scam callers are seemingly getting more creative with the ways they take advantage of unsuspecting victims, and a recent scam tactic is being flagged by Spokane County law enforcement and one of the local courts.
Spokane County Superior Court, the Spokane County Sheriff's Office (SCSO) and the Spokane Police Department (SPD) are warning the public about an apparent "jury duty scam." making its way around the community. This scam has been circulating for years, but law enforcement said scammers now do extensive research to make their threats seem believable.
According to law enforcement, a member of the community recently fell victim to this scam. The person reportedly received a call from someone claiming to be a law enforcement officer. The caller told the person they had a warrant for their arrest because they failed to report for jury duty. They told the person it could only be resolved by paying a fine of more than $1,000 or by being arrested.
The caller told the person to purchase gift cards to make that payment with, but reportedly said the money would be refunded "once the warrant was canceled." Law enforcement said the person gave the caller the barcodes from several gift cards for suspecting it was a scam.
Law enforcement and the Spokane County Superior Court said they will never call and threaten to arrest someone for missing jury duty, nor will they ask someone to use gift cards to pay for any legitimate fine.
Anyone who receives a call like this is urged to hang up and call Crime Check at (509) 456-2233.
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